ROBERT & COURVOISIER, PENDULETTE D'OFFICIER O MARESCIALLA, BRONZEUR AINE' BILLON, SVIZZERA, 1760

CIRCA in architectural form ornamented with foliate friezes in relief, molded base frame traversed by continuous leaves, mixtilinear cyma centered by cornucopias united by love knot, double foliate volute socket terminating in a curl, signed on the back by bronzist Ainé Billon, white enamel dial signed Robert Et Courvoisier within glass bezel with stylized decoration, Arabic numerals for hours and minute scale in 15, Breguet-style burnished steel hands and index alarm. Movement 15-day winding, primordial anchor escapement, hour, half and quarter chime on two bells with three hammers, chime selection lever in base, 'grande' and 'petite sonnerie', 'silence'. Tirage alarm clock with dedicated hammer. H. 25 cm, W. 17 cm, D. 11 cm. A RARE GILT BRONZE PENDULETTE D'OFFICIER, WITH GRANDE AND PETITE SONNERIE,BRONZEUR AINE' BILLON SWITZERLAND, C. 1760. The 'pendules d'officier,' historically originating from La Chaux-de-Fonds in the Swiss region of Neuchâtel and known in Italy as marshals, are particular clocks produced from the last quarter of the 18th century and in use until the end of the following century. As studies confirm, from early on they were to be considered objects of prestige even if almost exclusively intended for furnishing, so much so that the most important examples were equipped with complex machines, alarm clock, quarter chime, petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie and, in very rare cases just as in our officier. Lot from Sotheby's auction, Furniture, ceramics and objets d'art and the collection of Don Pietro Bruno di Belmonte, June 20, 2006, lot no. 348 Reference bibliography: ; R. Huguenin, J. M. Piguet, 'La Neuchâteloise. Histoire et technique de la pendule neuchâteloise, XVIII-XXI siècle', 2017. ; L. Magistretti, L. Pippa, 'The rhythms of time. History and evolution of the pendulette de voyage', Milan 1998. ; C. Allix, 'Carriage clocks', London 1974. ; Tardy, 'Les coqs de montres de la collection de M. E. Coinon', Paris, 1955. ; A. Chapuis, 'Pendules Neuchâteloises ; Documents Nouveaux', Neuchâtel 1930. ; A. Chapuis, 'Histoire de la Pendulerie Neuchâteloise', Neuchâtel et Paris 1917.